Closings

Severe Weather

Mayor: Police to investigate controversial firehouse photos

Omaha's mayor has ordered the city's fire chief to suspend an investigation into controversial photos that surfaced Monday.

Instead, Mayor Jean Stothert said the Omaha Police Department will conduct the investigation into the matter.

Stothert said Tuesday authorities are looking at the policy to see if there was a violation and what to do about it. The Fire Union said police resources would be more wisely spent elsewhere.

The Fire Union president said the "fanning of the flames" is only helpful for the mayor as she looks to oust the fire chief.

Toward the end of the media briefing on her 2014 budget, Stothert addressed the recently leaked photos of a woman posing with two Omaha firefighters and on top of a fire engine inside the station.

"I've not spoken to the chief about it," she said. "I've sent him an email, and I requested that he investigate it."

A few hours later, she told Chief Mike McDonnell to suspend his inquiry in lieu of a police investigation.

"I will guarantee you that once the investigation is finished, we will take what action that we need to take," the mayor said.

"I think it's an absolute miscarriage of power, an abuse of power," said Fire Union President Steve Leclair, who does not believe the pictures violate workplace policy and that police have enough crime to deal with.

"People being shot and killed, armed robberies, everything that's going on, I just don't think the possibility of workplace rule violations rises to the level of a police investigation," he said.

City Councilman Franklin Thompson said the mayor's decision to have police investigate will make it neutral, and they'll get to the bottom of the matter quicker.

"I think when boys have too much free time on their hands they get into trouble," he said. "And I think this is a good case of too many firemen with too much down time."

"To say too much time and not enough to do is insulting, and my comment that we have far less time and far more to do than a City Council member was meant to be insulting back," Leclair said.

On Monday, several media outlets as well as the mayor's office received two photos through email. One depicts a woman standing with two firefighters. The other appears to show the same woman posing on top of a fire truck.

Fire officials had said on Monday that they began an investigation into the photos, but Stothert has ordered Chief Mike McDonnell to suspend that investigation so police can take over.

“This will ensure there is a thorough and impartial investigation conducted,” Stothert said.

The woman in the photos told KETV NewsWatch 7 that they were taken during a bachelorette party.